Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.

I left Macy's without looking back.

BPOV

I walked back to my apartment slowly, I was in no rush. All I had to do was finish typing up a report that I'd already written and then I was free to read or do whatever I wanted for the rest of the day. I got a text from Alice as I opened the front door saying she would be later than she thought. I was pretty sure I didn't want to know why she'd be late. I texted her back say "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" I would most likely regret that later.

I went into the kitchen and heated up some leftover pizza that I snacked on while finishing my report, which took just a little under an hour. What to do, what to do I thought as I walked through the apartment. I laid down on the couch and picked up the remote to start surfing the channels. The only thing that was on was some boring reality TV and game shows. I groaned "Why isn't anything good ever on?!" I sighed in frustration and flipped the TV off. There was always a good book to read so I went to my room and searched through my bookcase. I settled on a classic, Wuthering Heights, which I hadn't read in a while and took my place back on the couch.

I read for I didn't know how long, getting lost in the plot even though I knew what was going to happen. Suddenly my phone vibrated and I pulled it out "Hey, Alice." I said without looking at the caller ID, she was the only person who ever really called me.

"Hey, why don't you order Chinese and I'll come home in about an hour." Her tinkling voice chirped into the receiver.

"Okay, sounds good. See you soon."

"Okay, bye." She hung up and I hit the end button before dialing a number I'd dialed way too many times.

"China Town here, how can I help you?"

{~}~{~}~{~}~{~}~{~}~{~}~{~}~{~}~{~}

"Action or comedy?" Alice held up two movies in her hand as she took a bite of orange chicken.

"Hm… I say action."

"Mr. and Mrs. Smith it is!" Alice jumped up and popped the DVD into the player and sat down next to me as the previews started.

"So how was your day?"

"I just had a lazy day, which was nice. They had new singer at Macy's."

"Good or bad?"

We'd had this conversation many times but I did usually answer "Phenomenal."

Alice raised her eyebrows at me. "Tell me."

"His name is Edward Masen and he plans to be back this Thursday and Saturday. At first he just played piano and some classics and such, but then he started to sing." I smiled at her as I thought back to this morning. "He had an amazing voice."

"Ohh," Alice wiggled her eyebrows at me suggestively. "is he cute?"

"Gorgeous." I clamped my mouth shut and looked away, feeling my face flush red.

"No, no, no, don't stop talking now!" Alice grabbed my shoulders and turned me to face her on the couch. "What did he look like?!"She almost screamed in my face.

But I wasn't paying attention. I burst into boisterous laughter and put my head into my hands. "What?! I don't see what is so funny here!"

I tried to control my laughter and I looked up at Alice. She didn't even notice! She just looked at me incredulous and irritated. I reached up and picked a noodle off her chin that was hanging down like a small beard still laughing quietly. Alice looked at the noodle and then rolled her eyes. "You are so immature sometimes and we have more important things to talk about right now!" But she smiled through her angry façade.

"Okay, okay." I thought for a moment "He has tousled brown-red hair and green eyes and a velvet voice, but when he sang it got this kind of… rough edge to it." I looked up at the ceiling and bit my lip. "He goes here to Washington State and is 20 years old, oh, and he's played piano for twelve years."

Alice's eyes widened "How do you know so much about him already?"

I shrugged. "He told a little bit about himself to everyone and for his break… he asked if he could sit with me." I half smiled. "Oh! He also has this charming crooked smile." Argh! I cursed at myself mentally. What the heck, I hadn't really thought about him since I was at Macy's and now I wouldn't shut up! For all I knew I'd never see him again… "Look. The movie's started." I changed the subject in my charmingly obvious way.

She raised an eyebrow at me. "Subtle." I shrugged and watched the TV screen intently. I could see Alice glare at me from the corner of my eye before she heaved a sigh and sat back. "I'm going with you to see him on Saturday." She warned and I pretended I didn't hear her.

I fell asleep watching the movie and Alice woke me up, dragged me into my room and let me fall asleep in bed after changing into PJs. "Good night, Bella." She flipped off the light and danced out of my field of vision before I fell asleep again.

I woke up late the next day, because my first class wasn't until noon. Alice was in the kitchen already, making toast. "You want some?" She held up a plate with a piece of toast, two pieces of bacon and an egg on it.

My mouth started to water. "You know I love you, right?" I took the plate from her hands and sat down at the table.

"Yeah, I'm pretty awesome." She finished making her own plate and joined me at the table. "I was about to go in your room and spill a glass of freezing water over your head." She smiled mischievously.

"It wouldn't be the first time."I mumbled around a mouthful of toast.

She just smiled again and took a bite of bacon. "So, you never finished telling me about Edward."

"There's nothing to tell. He's just the musician for Macy's on Thursday and Saturday this week, I'll most likely never see him again." She just rolled her eyes and let it drop.

"Whatever, hurry, eat, get ready, and go to class." She shoved another mouthful of eggs into her mouth.

"That's lady-like." I chuckled and finished my own breakfast quickly.

I got dressed and looked at the clock; I still had plenty of time. I grabbed my bag with my laptop and books and pulled it over my shoulder. After I finished getting ready I hugged Alice and told her I'd be back in a few hours.

I walked out the door in the direction of campus. I hardly ever drove, campus was a few blocks away and even though exercise definitely wasn't the most fun thing in the world, it was good for you. I pulled my IPod Video out, one of the bigger ones, and pressed an earphone into my ear, turning up the volume and pressing 'Shuffle.'

I walked onto the campus and kept walking. The Fine Arts Building was the closest one to my apartment on campus and, even better, I passed right by Macy's. Bells tinkled as I entered the shop and I smiled at Angela, an employee and acquaintance edging towards friendship. She already had my coffee made and I laughed as I took it from her. "Thanks." I handed her a five in exchange and turned to leave. "Aah!" I collided with someone and my coffee covered the ground while I slipped and accidently dragged the unsuspecting customer down with me. I sat up quickly and turned to the person "I am so sorry-" I cut off mid-apology. "Edward… hi." He sat up.

"Hello, Bella." He looked down and stood before helping me up. "I'll get you a new coffee." He said, looking down at the spilt drink.

"Oh!" I turned and looked at Angela. "I'm sorry, Angela, I'm such a klutz!" I flushed red and tripped over my words trying to apologize. "Did I get my drink all over you?" I asked Edward looking him over for wet spots. I buried my face in my hands. "I'm sorry." I muttered to both of them. Well, Angela wasn't going to want to be my friend anymore, and any chances of Edward being a friend were crushed as well. All before noon. Wow, I was such a moron!

"It's fine, Bella." Angela came around the counter and patted me on the back. I looked up sadly. "I'll get Mike to clean it up." I smiled gently.

"I'm fine too, you're okay." Edward assured me as well. "I can get you another coffee."

"No, that'll make me feel worse. I don't need the coffee, it's just part of my routine to come in the morning, and I'm already awake."

"I can just make you another one free." Angela patted my back again.

"It's okay. Could you give Edward his drink free though instead?"

"Yeah, sure. What would you like Edward?" He looked between both of us uncertainly. Angela watched him expectantly and I gave him a don't-argue-with-me look.

"Just a medium of the coffee of the day." He answered absently.

"Okay, I'll get Mike to clean that up." She went behind the counter and I looked around. I couldn't tell you how glad I was that no one else was here.

"I'm still sorry." I looked up at him apologetically.

"No harm done." He smiled crookedly. "So do you come here every morning?"

"Most mornings… What about you? I've never seen you here before."

"I've come a few times but I try to go unnoticed. Do you have class today?" He asked as he fingered the strap of a bag he had around his shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm due in the Fine Arts Building in half an hour or so."

"Really?" He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Yeah, I go for choir. Why?"

"I go to the Fine Arts Building for my piano playing." He smiled crookedly. Angela came back out with a tired looking Mike holding a mop. He started cleaning without really paying attention and Angela gave Edward his drink.

"Have a good day you guys." She smiled warmly and we left Macy's.

"May I walk you to class?" He sounded kind of unsure when he asked and he didn't meet my eyes.

"Yeah, that'd be nice."I smiled at him and he looked at me out of the corner of his eye. He took a sip of coffee and then turned towards me.

"So, um, tell me about yourself." He said slowly. I thought for a minute before replying.

"What do you want to know?"

He shrugged. "What's your favorite color?" I couldn't help laughing.

"What's my favorite color? Brown, I guess."

"How is brown your favorite color? I can understand red or blue or green or something, but brown?"

"I don't know… Brown is warm." I looked around at the rain drizzling around us, dampening our hair.

He looked up at the cold, gray sky for a long moment. "Brown is warm."He finally said. "What's your favorite band or artist or whatever you want to call it?"

"That's not fair, there are way too many to choose from!"

"But you do have a favorite." He watched me expectantly.

"The Hush Sound." I answered. I started to ask him a question but he cut me off with another one.

"Your favorite flower?"

"Random much?" I muttered. "Freesia; when do I get to ask the questions?" He just shrugged and asked another question. I shook my head and answered. I sat down next to him on a bench that was beneath a shade and between our two classes. He threw away his coffee and watched me as he thought.

"If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be? Right now?"

That was a hard one and I thought for a few minutes as I chewed on my lower lip. "I'm happy here." I finally answered and he just looked away.

"What are you passionate about?"

"Music and writing. What are you passionate about?"I tilted my head to the side curiously.

"Music; I've never really had much else."He stared at his feet and combed his fingers through his already tousled bronze hair.

"What about friends and family?" I asked him; everyone seemed to have one of the two or both.

He turned and looked at me with an emotion I couldn't place and then his eyes turned cold. "I should go." He muttered.

"Wait, no." I took his sleeve in my hand and he stopped standing to leave but sat back down. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings or anything. I know how that feels." I was taken aback by his sudden change in emotion. He didn't look kind and curious anymore, just stiff and cold as he glared at me.

"No, I don't think you really do." I dropped his sleeve like I'd been shocked. He started to walk away, into the rain.

"Edward!" I called after him and I walked quickly towards him. I planted my feet directly in front of him and wouldn't let him go around. "You can't say that. You don't know me." He stopped and met my eyes, his whole expression softened after a moment.

"You're right, I don't, maybe someday I will though. Good bye, Bella." He walked around me and I just watched him leave, more surprised and confused than before.

Twenty minutes later I was in a class room and listening to a teacher lecturing us about practicing the proper amount of time and warming up our voices a little bit before coming here.

I spent choir and my biology/science class thinking about Edward and what he'd said, how he'd acted. I would prove it to him. There were other people in pain and maybe I knew his pain just as good as he did, if only I knew why he was hurting…

A/N: Hey, so here's the second chapter I'll continue writing for this story after I write and post the epilogue of my other story Trust! Go read that in the meantime because even though it's done, it doesn't mean I don't want to hear what you guys think! So read and drop a few words here before you go and read Trust! :D Thank you!